King

• Constantina Papos, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2010

I was the king; the ruler; the master of it all. I was the one who they all feared, but now I am lower than ever. I am lower than the snakes which feed off the rats. Lower than the rats feeding off the food substance called cheese, which is as unappealing as the rodents themselves, I am even lower than the cheese being fed by the ants. The hierarchy has changed and my Kingdom has been invaded.

On my command my people bowed at my feet, they moved out of my way, and when I was hungry they never disappointed me in my meals. But something changed in their eyes…the deepest of fear had overtaken them. Not like one I had seen before; not like one I had, been able to bestow upon them. As I looked around this wild environment, the greenest of forest, I understood that fear. The fear that if we leave this home of ours, our predators; our enemies will attack us.

I encountered a confrontation with our rivals, many nights ago. I was naïve to think that my land would be left alone in peace. I was resting at the edge of the forest, when I heard a growling like noise, as if someone or something was going to attack. My eyes opened as fast as light. They came towards me, a look of fright on their faces? I did not know. But the largest of them all, took something out from behind his back and pointed a long piece of black material at me. I did not know what it was, but the tone of his voice, an alarm set off by the dogs, told me that I was in immediate danger.
The stranger opened his mouth, only to speak of words unknown to me.
“Who are you?” I responded. I called for immediate help and so my cousins wearing stripes came to my aid and my brothers with skin as thick as mine, came too.

The foreigner seemed more afraid, I knew I had the upper hand, until he pushed his finger backwards and an infuriating pain swept through my body. I twisted my head to face my army.
“Go! ...Go and tell the others!” I commanded.
“No!” they yelled, but with the sight of my injury and with an unsure look, they turned and hurried off, disappearing back into the forest. I was in pain, but it only intensified into anger, when I saw my brother Samih, crouched on the earth, bleeding and hurt. I tried to call out to him, but a strong force had come over me and my lids closed, as heavy as the burden I now felt.

I was once King, until they took my land, hurt my people and put me on display for these strangers, in an entrapped enclosure. They feed us meat, as tasteless as water and speak to us in foreign languages. They call us Lions. We call them the demons of Africa.